Iran says downed US drone was deep in its airspace

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran says the downed U.S. drone was flying deep inside Iranian airspace when it was brought down by the country's armed forces.

Iranian state radio said Wednesday the stealth-version of the RQ-170 unmanned aircraft was detected over the eastern town of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the border with Afghanistan.

The report doesn't speculate as to why the drone flew over the town, located in an agricultural area famous for Persian carpets and saffron.

Iran first reported the downing of the drone on Sunday but did not say when the incident happened.

U.S. officials say the drone crashed over the weekend. They say it had spied on Iran for years from a U.S. air base in Afghanistan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified information.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran says the downed U.S. drone was flying deep inside Iranian airspace when it was brought down by the country's armed forces.

Iranian state radio said Wednesday the stealth-version of the RQ-170 unmanned aircraft was detected over the eastern town of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the border with Afghanistan.

The report doesn't speculate as to why the drone flew over the town, located in an agricultural area famous for Persian carpets and saffron.

Iran first reported the downing of the drone on Sunday but did not say when the incident happened.

U.S. officials say the drone crashed over the weekend. They say it had spied on Iran for years from a U.S. air base in Afghanistan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified information.